In the Huddle

Olmsted Falls 28, Amherst 21

2011-10-14T21:24:00.000-07:00

Statistics wise, it was an even game, but mistakes hurt Amherst on Friday night as Brennan Laird and Olmsted Falls defeated the Comets 28-21. Laird threw for 309 yards - including a 62-yard touchdown pass to Eric Meehan - and later led the Bulldogs on an eight-play, 48-yard go-ahead drive to improve to 6-2 overall and 5-0 in the Southwestern Conference. Laird's counterpart Eric Lamb was just as impressive, however, completing 66 percent of his passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns.

Falcons comes from behind to beat Bucks

2011-10-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

MEDINA — With its perfect season on the line, Firelands pulled off an improbable comeback, defeating Buckeye, 40-36, on the road Friday night.
Down 36-27 in the fourth quarter, the Falcons scored two unanswered touchdowns to improve to 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the Patriot Athletic Conference.
Firelands will host Black River next Friday.
Bellevue 28, Norwalk 14: The Redmen handed the Truckers their second-straight loss in Northern Ohio League play.
Norwalk (6-2, 1-2) jumped out to a 14-0 lead on a pair of Dustin Crabtree touchdowns, but then allowed four unanswered touchdowns to the visiting Redmen (6-2, 3-0). Crabtree finished with 136 yards on 23 carries. Dalton Jarvis also rushed for 113 yards on 18 carries.
Elyria 31, Stow-Munroe Falls 26: The Pioneers came back from a 20-3 deficit to improve to 7-1 overall and 3-1 in the Northeast Ohio Conference.
Elyria will host Hudson next Friday.
Perkins 20, Port Clinton 6: The Pirates finally snagged their first win of the season, defeating the Redskins in Sandusky Bay Conference play.
Perkins (1-7, 1-4) will host Margaretta next Friday.
Wellington 55, Keystone 6: The Dukes scored plenty and often to keep the Wildcats winless in PAC Stars Division play in LaGrange.
Wellington (5-3, 4-1) will host Brookside next Friday, while Keystone (0-8, 0-5) will host Buckeye.
Westlake 21, Midpark 14: It took overtime, but the Demons got it done, defeating the Meteors in Southwestern Conference action.
Westlake (4-4, 2-3) travels to play Berea in SWC play next Friday.
Black River 62, Brookside 13: The Pirates routed the Cardinals in PAC Stars Division action in Sullivan.
Brookside (4-4, 2-3) travels to Wellington next Friday.
Clearview 40, Lutheran West 14: The Clippers won their second-straight game, routing the Longhorns in Rocky River in PAC Stripes Division play.
Clearview (3-5, 2-3) will host Brooklyn next Friday.
Columbia 43, Brooklyn 13: The Raiders overcame some early first-quarter problems to rout the Hurricanes in PAC Stripes Division play.
Columbia (6-2, 4-1) travels to play Fairview next Friday.
Fairview 39, Oberlin 7: The Warriors routed the Phoenix in PAC Stripes Division action.
Oberlin (2-6, 0-5) will host Lutheran West next Friday.
Huron 48, Margaretta 20: The Tigers clawed their way for their seventh win of the season, defeating the Polar Bears in SBC action.
Huron (7-1, 4-1) will host Port Clinton next Friday.
Monroeville 22, South Central 19: The Eagles won their first game since Week 1 and kept the Trojans winless in Firelands Conference play.
Monroeville (2-6, 1-4) will host New London next Friday.
Western Reserve 49, New London 35: The Roughriders bounced back from a disappointing Week 7 loss, and staved off an upset by the Wildcats in FC action.
Western Reserve (5-3, 4-1) travels to play Plymouth next Friday, while New London (1-7, 0-5) travels to Monroeville.
Sandusky 26, Shelby 6: The Blue Streaks won their seventh-straight game, defeating the Whippets in NOL action.
Sandusky (7-1, 3-0) will host Tiffin Columbian next Friday.

North Ridgeville records third-straight shutout

2011-10-07T20:54:00.000-07:00

ROCKY RIVER — North Ridgeville went on the road in West Shore Conference play on Friday night and recorded its third-straight shutout in a 42-0 rout over Rocky River.
North Ridgeville (6-1, 3-1) defeated Elyria Catholic, 7-0 last week, and Willard 40-0, two weeks ago and haven’t allowed a score in 12 quarters of play.
The Rangers will try to keep that streak going when they host Bay next Friday.
Brecksville 43, Amherst 14: Amherst dropped its sixth game of the season and fifth in a row, losing to the Bees in Southwestern Conference play.
Amherst quarterback Eric Lamb threw a pair of touchdown passes, one a 4-yarder to Tom Gula, and the other, a 17-yarder to Trey Waite.
Amherst (1-6, 0-4) will host Olmsted Falls next Friday.
Buckeye 28, Brookside 14: The Cardinals dropped a home game to the Bucks, losing by a pair of touchdowns in Patriot Athletic Conference action.
Brookside (4-3, 2-2) travels to play Black River next Friday.
Crestview 22, Western Reserve 21: The Cougars edged the Roughriders, winning the game on a two-point conversion in Firelands Conference play.
Western Reserve (4-3, 3-1) will host New London next Friday.
Bishop Hartley 56, Elyria Catholic 31: The Panthers were waxed in Columbus in non-conference action.
Elyria Catholic (2-5, 0-3) returns to West Shore Conference play next week when they host Rocky River.
Columbia 49, Lutheran West 22: The Raiders routed the Longhorns in PAC Stripes Division play.
Columbia (5-2, 3-1) travels to play Brooklyn next Friday.
The Raiders scored all seven touchdowns on the ground led by Brandon Heidinger, who scored four of them. Zach Bican also scored a pair of TDs, while John Banyasz added the other.
Mapleton 28, Monroeville 27: The Eagles dropped their sixth-straight game, losing a heartbreaker at home in FC play.
Monroeville (1-6, 0-4), who hasn’t won a game since Week 1, travels to play South Central next Friday.
Edison 19, Margaretta 13: The Chargers came back to defeat the Polar Bears in Sandusky Bay Conference action.
Edison (3-4, 2-2) travels to play St. Mary next Saturday.
Huron 42, Oak Harbor 20: The Tigers routed the Rockets at home in SBC action.
Huron (6-1, 3-1) travels to play Margaretta next Friday.
Clyde 56, Perkins 0: The Fliers sent the Pirates home still winless in SBC play.
Perkins (0-6, 0-4) will host Port Clinton next Friday.
Port Clinton 35, St. Mary 0: The Panthers were blanked on the road in SBC action.
St. Mary (3-4, 1-3) will host Edison next Friday.
St. Paul 34, New London 33: The Flyers edged the Wildcats in a near upset in New London.
St. Paul (4-3, 3-1) will host undefeated Plymouth next Saturday, while New London (1-6, 0-4) travels to Western Reserve.

’Cats outgain Cards in yards, but lose battle

2011-09-30T20:55:00.000-07:00

SHEFFIELD — Keystone had one last heave in the waning seconds, but the desperation pass was batted down by a Brookside defender and the Cardinals held on for a 13-8 Patriot Athletic Conference Stars Division win on Friday night.
Brookside (4-2, 2-1) will host Buckeye next Friday, while Keystone (0-6, 0-3) travels to undefeated Firelands.
Fairview 13, Clearview 6: The Clippers’ woes continue with a loss to the Warriors in PAC Stripes play.
Clearview (1-5, 1-2) will host Oberlin next Friday.
Columbia 38, Oberlin 0: The Raiders blanked the Phoenix in PAC Stripes action.
Columbia (4-2, 2-1) will host Lutheran West next Friday, while Oberlin goes to Clearview.
Avon 42, Rocky River 7: The Eagles remained undefeated with a West Shore Conference rout in Rocky River.
Avon (6-0, 3-0) travels to play Bay next Friday.
Norwalk 20, Shelby 6: The Truckers remained undefeated with a win over the Whippets in Northern Ohio League action.
Dustin Crabtree rushed for just 50 yards, but that also included a 5-yard TD run. Michael Finch nailed two field goals, while Jake Fetherolf also threw a 13-yard TD pass to Damius Peacock.
Norwalk (6-0, 1-0) travels to play Sandusky next Friday in the team’s first NOL matchup against each other.
Sandusky 49, Willard 21: The Blue Streaks routed the Crimson Flashes in the Blue Streaks’ first NOL game.
Sandusky (5-1, 1-0) will host undefeated Norwalk next Friday.
Midpark 24, Amherst 21: The Comets made a comeback in Berea Friday night, but came up three short in Southwestern Conference play.
Amherst (1-5, 0-3) travels to Brecksville next Friday.
Olmsted Falls 24, Westlake 14: The Bulldogs staved off a Demons’ comeback in SWC action.
Westlake (3-3, 1-2) will host Avon Lake next Friday.
Huron 6, Perkins 2: The Tigers overcame a 2-0 lead with a score late in the fourth quarter to survive the Pirates in Sandusky Bay Conference action.
Huron (5-1, 2-1) will host Oak Harbor next Friday, while Perkins (0-6, 0-3) travels to Clyde.
Oak Harbor 35, Edison 7: The Chargers dropped to 2-4 overall (1-1 SBC) with their loss to the Rockets in Ottawa County.
Edison will host Margaretta next Friday.
Plymouth 27, Monroeville 7: The Big Red easily handled the Eagles, who haven’t won since Week 1, in Firelands Conference action.
Monroeville (1-5, 0-3) will host Mapleton next Friday.
Mapleton 26, New London 21: The Mounties survived a Wildcats scare in Ashland in FC play.
New London (1-5, 0-3) will host St. Paul next Friday.
Marion Harding 54, Vermilion 29: The Sailors held a 15-14 halftime lead, but gave up 40 second-half points to the Presidents in non-conference action.
Vermilion (1-5, 0-3) will host Midview next Friday.

Dukes put up 56 in rout over Raiders

2011-09-16T20:58:00.000-07:00

COLUMBIA STATION — Wellington’s Clay Wright scored five touchdowns to lead the Dukes to their second-straight win, a 56-28 rout over Columbia in a Patriot Athletic Conference crossover opener.
Wellington (2-2, 1-0) will host Clearview (1-3, 1-0) next Friday in PAC play.

Rocky River 14, Vermilion 6: Seth Konrad threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Shaw for the Sailors’ only score in a West Shore Conference loss to the Pirates.
Vermilion (1-3, 0-1) travels to play Bay as the team’s both go for its second win of the season.

Westlake 35, Amherst 27: The Demons outlasted the Comets in a Southwestern Conference opener for both teams.
Amherst (1-3, 0-1) will host Berea next Friday, while Westlake (3-1, 1-0) will host North Olmsted.

Crestview 30, Monroeville 7: The Eagles dropped their third-straight game since an opening night win over Keystone.
Monroeville (1-3, 0-1) travels to play Western Reserve in Firelands Conference play next Friday.

Sandusky 45, Toledo Start 14: The Blue Streaks won their third straight since an opening night loss to Fremont Ross.
Sandusky (3-1) will host Toledo Bowsher in non-conference action next Friday.

St. Paul 29, Mapleton 23: The Flyers snapped a two-game losing streak in a 6-point FC win over the Mounties.
St. Paul (2-2, 1-0) will host South Central in FC action next Saturday.

Norwalk 28, St. Peter Chanel 0: The Truckers remain undefeated with a shutout win over the Firebirds in non-conference action.
Norwalk (4-0) will host Delta next Friday in non-conference play.

Western Reserve 50, South Central 24: The Roughriders evened up their mark and put up a 50 spot on the Trojans in a FC opener.
Western Reserve (2-2, 1-0) will host Monroeville next Friday in FC action.

NDCL 29, Bay 0: The Rockets were blanked in Chardon in non-conference play.
Bay (1-3) will host Vermilion next Friday in its WSC opener.

Plymouth 20, New London 6: The Big Red spoiled Homecoming Night in New London with a 14-point win over the Wildcats in FC play.
New London (1-3, 0-1) travels to play Crestview next Friday in FC action.

Weighing in on the local coaching changes

2010-12-04T07:02:00.000-08:00

By now you've probably heard that both Lorain's Todd Auvil and Elyria's Steve Hamilton will not be returning to their respective football teams next season.
Both jobs should be intriguing for anyone looking to move up in the coaching world. It will be interesting to see who takes over either program.
Elyria seems like somewhat of a sleeping giant. A lot of local coaches have agreed with this notion. The JV program has gotten stronger over the past few seasons and it's not hard to tell the kind of talent that has come through, including Ohio State commit Chase Farris, Bowling Green's Isaiah Byler and Findlay's Trynell Davis among others.
When we look back at both of these coaches, we won't see much past their losing records. However, it can't be overlooked how much influence both of them had in the lives of the kids who played for them.
Not every kid from Elyria and Lorain realizes the opportunities out there for them. I feel like both Auvil and Hamilton did a great job of getting their players to go to college. That certainly counts for something, a lot actually.
Auvil said almost every player who graduated from Southview when he was there is in college now, and Hamilton has served as a great motivator, helping players cut weight and catch the eye of college recruiters. It's hard to believe Farris once was an out of shape kid who didn't want to play football and had paperwork in to transfer to Southview. Hamilton convinced him he was destined for big things and next year he'll be answering to Jim Tressel.
I'm not saying either guy should have kept his job because of these things, but both guys should be recognized for stressing the importance of furthering one's education. Our schools need people like that, not just in the guidance office.
From an on-the-field standpoint, I'm interested to see who takes over both these programs. As Division I schools in diverse cities, it seems like both should dominate the local football scene.
In Elyria's case, a brand new high school and a recent levy passage might intrigue candidates more.
Lorain just failed another levy and cuts in athletics are imminent. That could also mean pay-to-play is close to being instituted, which seems like a potentially devastating reality to a district like Lorain. Although, the school still has three strong middle school programs feeding into it and a large population like Lorain will always produce quality athletes.

Farris, Franklin honored for All-Ohio

2010-11-29T17:09:00.001-08:00

The Division I and II All-Ohio teams were announced on Monday and Elyria senior defensive lineman Chase Farris (6-foot-6, 267 pounds) was named first team All-Ohio for D-1.

Amherst had a trio of players make third team All-Ohio, including senior wide receiver Tyler Parrish (6-0, 170), senior linebacker Marty Thomas (5-10, 190) and senior Mat Malloy (6-0, 185).

There were no first-teamers in D-II, but Sandusky coach Mike Franklin was named coach of the year, along with three other coaches.

Franklin led the Blue Streaks to a 6-4 regular season record and an upset win against No. 1 Avon in the D-II playoffs.

Sandusky senior running back Cordney Strickland (6-1, 185) was named to the second team, along with Avon Lake senior defense lineman Brian Mihalik (6-7, 245).

Avon Lake seniors wide receiver Ronnie Willoughby (6-4, 190)and defensive lineman Andrew Bohan (6-4, 265), along with Avon junior wide receiver Matt Eckhardt (6-0, 175) made the third team.

Sandusky's Jaron Green and Norwalk's Matt Williams were named special mention in D-II.

Playoff Matchups for Week 11

2010-10-31T15:07:00.000-07:00

The OHSAA has released its Round 1 playoff pairings for next week's state football tournament. Eight local teams are in and there will be two games featuring two local opponents(which is a sports editor's dream). Let's take a look.

Division I - Games tentatively scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6.

Region 1

8 Brecksville-Broadview Heights (7-3) at 1 Solon (10-0)

7 Warren G. Harding (8-2) at 2 Cleveland Glenville (10-0)

6 Mentor (7-3) at 3 Lakewood St. Edward (10-0)

5 Willoughby South (9-1) at 4 Austintown-Fitch (9-1)

Region 2

8 Medina (8-2) at 1 Canton McKinley (8-2)

7 Twinsburg (9-1) at 2 Sylvania Southview (10-0)

6 Massillon Washington (7-3) at 3 Toledo Whitmer (9-1)

5 Fremont Ross (9-1) at 4 Toledo St. John’s Jesuit (9-1)

Region 3

8 Troy (8-2) at 1 Pickerington Central (9-0)

7 Columbus Northland (8-2) at 2 Hilliard Davidson (10-0)

6 Hilliard Darby (8-2) at 3 Springfield (8-2)

5 Dublin Coffman (8-2) at 4 Westerville South (8-2)

Region 4

8 Huber Heights Wayne (7-3) at 1 Middletown (10-0)

7 Hamilton (7-3) at 2 Cincinnati Colerain (10-0)

6 Cincinnati St. Xavier (5-4) at 3 Cincinnati LaSalle (9-1)

5 Centerville (8-2) at 4 Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller (7-3)

Division II - Games tentatively scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5.

Region 5

8 Kent Roosevelt (8-2) at 1 Tallmadge (10-0)

7 Chagrin Falls Kenston (8-2) at 2 Mentor Lake Catholic (9-1)

6 Warren Howland (10-0) at 3 Copley (9-1)

5 Aurora (8-2) at 4 Ashland (8-2)

Region 6

8 Sandusky (6-4) at 1 Avon (10-0)

A loss didn't knock out the Blue Streaks in Week 10. A tough schedule was recognized and Sandusky got in. Unfortunately they drew Avon, a team that has won every game by 18 or more points this year. Mike Franklin will have the streaks ready, though.

7 Maumee (7-3) at 2 Avon Lake (8-2)

A rematch of last year's first round. Only this time it's at the Shoremen's palace, a stadium that deserves to have as many playoff games there as humanly possible. With a win, the Shoremen could face off against two more teams they've played this year in Avon and Olmsted Falls.

6 Cleveland John F. Kennedy (7-3) at 3 Olmsted Falls (7-3)

5 Maple Heights (10-0) at 4 Toledo Central Catholic (8-2)

Region 7

8 Zanesville (9-1) at 1 Columbus Marion-Franklin (10-0)

7 Dresden Tri-Valley (8-2) at 2 New Albany (10-0)

6 Columbus St. Charles (5-4) at 3 Uniontown Lake (7-3)

5 Sunbury Big Walnut (8-2) at 4 Canal Winchester (9-1)

Region 8

8 Dayton Carroll (7-3) at 1 Cincinnati Winton Woods (9-1)

7 New Carlisle Tecumseh (7-3) at 2 Kings Mills Kings (9-1)

6 Cincinnati Mount Healthy (8-2) at 3 Cincinnati Turpin (9-1)

5 Harrison (5-5) at 4 Trotwood-Madison (8-2)

Division III - Games tentatively scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6.

Region 9

8 Hunting Valley University School (7-3) at 1 Parma Padua Franciscan (7-3)

7 Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (6-4) at 2 Hubbard (8-2)

6 Youngstown Cardinal Mooney (5-4) at 3 Mogadore Field (7-3)

5 Poland Seminary (7-3) at 4 Akron Buchtel (7-3)

Region 10

8 Columbus St. Francis DeSales (5-5) at 1 Columbus Bishop Watterson (8-1)

7 Shelby (8-2) at 2 Clyde (9-1)

6 Columbus Eastmoor Academy (6-3) at 3 Tiffin Columbian (9-1)

5 Elida (8-2) at 4 Tipp City Tippecanoe (9-1)

Region 11

8 Minerva (8-2) at 1 Alliance Marlington (10-0)

7 Dover (8-2) at 2 Steubenville (8-2)

6 Salem (8-2) at 3 Thornville Sheridan (10-0)

5 Newark Licking Valley (8-2) at 4 East Liverpool (8-2)

Region 12

8 Washington Court House Washington (8-2) at 1 Springfield Shawnee (9-1)

7 Dayton Dunbar (7-3) at 2 Cin. Archbishop McNicholas (8-2)

6 Cincinnati Wyoming (9-1) at 3 St. Bernard Roger Bacon (7-3)

5 Jackson (9-1) at 4 Eaton (10-0)

Division IV - Games tentatively scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5.

Region 13

8 Perry (6-4) at 1 Akron Manchester (10-0)

7 Garrettsville Garfield (8-2) at 2 Chagrin Falls (9-1)

6 Cortland Lakeview (8-2) at 3 St. Clairsville (8-2)

5 Campbell Memorial (9-1) at 4 Martins Ferry (7-2)

Region 14

8 Mansfield Ontario (7-3) at 1 Bellville Clear Fork (9-1)

7 Huron (7-3) at 2 Elyria Catholic (9-1)

You have to love another local-local matchup. The Tigers have been solid all season and can be just as explosive on offense as the Panthers. They'll have one heck of a task, though, in stopping Danny Reaser and the Panther passing attack at Knights of Columbus Stadium.

6 Wooster Triway (8-2) at 3 Orrville (7-3)

5 Ottawa-Glandorf (8-2) at 4 Genoa Area (10-0)

Region 15

8 Coshocton (8-2) at 1 Ironton (8-2)

7 Albany Alexander (8-2) at 2 Heath (9-1)

6 Amanda-Clearcreek (7-3) at 3 Columbus Bishop Hartley (8-2)

5 Portsmouth West (8-2) at 4 Sparta Highland (8-2)

Region 16

8 Cincinnati Taft (7-3) at 1 Clarksville Clinton-Massie (10-0)

7 Waynesville (8-2) at 2 Plain City Jonathan Alder (9-1)

6 Kettering Archbishop Alter (8-2) at 3 Cincinnati North College Hill (10-0)

5 Kenton (9-1) at 4 Carlisle (10-0)

Division V - Games tentatively scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6.

Region 17

8 North Lima South Range (7-3) at 1 Youngstown Ursuline (10-0)

7 Independence (8-2) at 2 Kirtland (10-0)

6 Hanoverton United (7-3) at 3 Cuyahoga Heights (9-1)

5 Creston Norwayne (8-2) at 4 Columbiana Crestview (9-1)

Region 18

8 Northwood (7-3) at 1 Archbold (10-0)

7 Jeromesville Hillsdale (9-1) at 2 Collins Western Reserve (10-0)

Western Reserve has been balanced on offense and staunch on defense this season. They get a well-deserved home game and will try to make a run back to the state title game where they fell just short in their last playoff game - in 1984.

6 Columbia Station Columbia (9-1) at 3 Hamler Patrick Henry (9-1)

The Raiders will have to hit the road in Round 1, but they haven't lost an away game all season and are riding a nine-game winning streak. Regardless, you have to be happy for Jason Ward, who has molded that team into a group of very good football players in his time at Columbia.

5 Defiance Tinora (10-0) at 4 Lima Central Catholic (9-1)

Region 19

8 Coal Grove Dawson-Bryant (8-2) at 1 Oak Hill (9-1)

7 Woodsfield Monroe Central (8-2) at 2 Fredericktown (10-0)

6 West Lafayette Ridgewood (10-0) at 3 Wheelersburg (8-2)

5 Nelsonville-York (8-2) at 4 Minford (8-2)

Region 20

8 Hamilton Badin (5-5) at 1 Richwood North Union (10-0)

7 Cin. Summit Country Day (7-3) at 2 West Jefferson (10-0)

6 Lees Creek East Clinton (8-2) at 3 Cincinnati Hills Christian Acad. (7-3)

5 Coldwater (7-3) at 4 Anna (8-2)

Division VI - Games tentatively scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5.

Region 21

8 Dalton (7-3) at 1 Bucyrus Wynford (10-0)

7 New Washington Buckeye Central (9-1) at 2 Mogadore (10-0)

6 Monroeville (8-2) at 3 Thompson Ledgemont (10-0)

The Eagles are coming off of a big win against St. Paul but there's no time to celebrate as undefeated Ledgemont awaits in Round 1. The Eagles are impressive this season under first-year head coach Dan Periat and it'd be hard to count them out of any game.

5 McDonald (8-2) at 4 Berlin Center Western Reserve (9-1)

Region 22

8 Edgerton (7-3) at 1 Delphos St. John’s (10-0)

7 Fremont St. Joseph Central Catholic (9-1) at 2 McComb (10-0)

6 Toledo Christian (8-2) at 3 Sycamore Mohawk (9-1)

5 Leipsic (9-1) at 4 Ada (9-1)

Region 23

8 Glouster Trimble (7-3) at 1 Shadyside (9-1)

7 Salineville Southern (8-2) at 2 Bridgeport (10-0)

6 Lancaster Fairfield Christian Academy (9-0) at 3 Newark Catholic (7-3)

5 Malvern (7-3) at 4 Willow Wood Symmes Valley (9-1)

Region 24

8 Minster (5-5) at 1 Springfield Catholic Central (9-1)

7 Lockland (6-4) at 2 Sidney Lehman Catholic (9-1)

6 Ansonia (9-1) at 3 Covington (10-0)

5 Maria Stein Marion Local (8-2) at 4 Fort Loramie (8-2)

State Football Poll: Week 9

2010-10-28T14:40:00.000-07:00

AP Football Poll
COLUMBUS — How a state panel of sports writers and broadcasters rates Ohio high school football teams in the seventh weekly Associated Press poll of 2010, by OHSAA divisions, with won-lost record and total points (first-place votes in parentheses):

Division I
1. Cle. Glenville (16) 9-0 329
2. Cin. Colerain (4) 9-0 272
3. Lakewood St. Edward (6) 9-0 271
4. Hilliard Davidson (3) 9-0 237
5. Middletown (2) 9-0 206
6. Pickerington Cent. (3) 8-0 190
7. Solon (1) 9-0 162
8. Cin. La Salle (2) 9-0 131
9. Sylvania Southview 9-0 86
10. Austintown-Fitch 8-1 33
Others receiving 12 or more points: 11. Tol. Whitmer 24, 12. Can. McKinley 16.

Division II
1. Cols. Marion-Franklin (17) 9-0 311
2. Avon (3) 9-0 245
3. New Albany (4) 9-0 240
4. Cin. Turpin (2) 9-0 235
5. Maple Hts. (5) 9-0 216
6. Warren Howland (2) 9-0 159
7. Mentor Lake Cath. (2) 8-1 156
8. Cin. Winton Woods (1) 8-1 153
9. Tol. Cent. Cath. 8-1 84
10. Tallmadge (1) 9-0 71
Others receiving 12 or more points: 11. Aurora 39, 12. Uniontown Lake 36, 13. Zanesville 29, 14. Kings Mills Kings 15, 15. Copley 13.

Division III
1. Alliance Marlington (24) 9-0 336
2. Thornville Sheridan (5) 9-0 276
3. Cols. Watterson (2) 7-1 263
4. Eaton (4) 9-0 221
5. Steubenville (1) 7-2 206
6. Tiffin Columbian 8-1 173
7. E. Liverpool (1) 8-1 129
8. Spring. Shawnee 8-1 117
9. Clyde 8-1 114
10. Minerva 8-1 31
Others receiving 12 or more points: 11. Cin. Wyoming 23, 12. Youngs. Mooney 19, 13. Parma Padua 18, 14. Hubbard 13, 14. Tipp City Tippecanoe 13.

Division IV
1. Clarksville Clinton-Massie (17) 9-0 320
2. Akr. Manchester (8) 9-0 304
3. Kettering Alter (5) 8-1 240
4. Genoa Area (3) 9-0 206
5. Kenton 8-1 171
6. Cin. N. College Hill 9-0 162
7. Plain City Jonathan Alder (1) 8-1 157
8. Bellville Clear Fork (3) 8-1 125
9. Elyria CathOLIC 8-1 78
10. Carlisle 9-0 47
Others receiving 12 or more points: 11. Chagrin Falls 41, 11. Ironton 41, 13. Middletown Fenwick 28, 14. Heath 19, 15. Cortland Lakeview 17, 16. Campbell Memorial 16, 17. Portsmouth W. 14.

Division V
1. Youngs. Ursuline (31) 9-0 360
2. Kirtland (2) 9-0 259
3. Fredericktown (1) 9-0 248
4. Archbold (1) 9-0 236
5. Richwood N. Union (2) 9-0 190
6. Western Reserve 9-0 180
7. W. Lafayette Ridgewood 9-0 108
8. Defiance Tinora 9-0 83
9. Hamler Patrick Henry 8-1 75
10. Cuyahoga Hts. 8-1 48
Others receiving 12 or more points: 11. Oak Hill 32, 12. W. Jefferson 30, 13. Lima Cent. Cath. 27, 14. Caldwell 17, 15. Anna 13.

Division VI
1. Delphos St. John’s (34) 9-0 357
2. Mogadore (1) 9-0 286
3. Bucyrus Wynford 9-0 219
4. Ada 9-0 194
5. McComb 9-0 192
6. Covington 9-0 131
7. Spring. Cath. Cent. 8-1 127
8. Maria Stein Marion Local 7-2 111
9. Bridgeport 9-0 81
10. Shadyside 8-1 66
Others receiving 12 or more points: 11. Berlin Center Western Reserve 62, 12. Thompson Ledgemont (1) 53, 13. Leipsic 23, 13. Willow Wood Symmes Valley 23, 15. Sidney Lehman 21, 16. McDonald 19, 17. Fremont St. Joseph 15, 18. Newark Cath. 12.

The Ohio Football poll

2010-10-11T16:35:00.000-07:00

Here's the AP's Week 7 state poll for Ohio. Under each I put the local implications of each division.
DIVISION I
1, Cle. Glenville (17) 7-0 299
2, Cin. Colerain (4) 7-0 228
3, Hilliard Davidson (3) 7-0 213
4, Lakewood St. Edward (4) 7-0 209
5, Middletown (1) 7-0 195
6, Pickerington Cent. (2) 6-0 182
7, Solon 7-0 127
8, Youngs. Austintown-Fitch (2) 7-0 92
9, Cin. La Salle 7-0 56
10, Cin. Moeller 6-1 52
Others receiving 12 or more points: 11, Sylvania Southview 37. 12, Twinsburg 24. 13, Massillon Washington 23. 14, Springfield 20. 15, Centerville 12.
AREA IMPLICATIONS: Amherst is pretty much the only team that could even have an argument to be on here, but the meat of their schedule is coming up and they should considered here if they win out. Long way to go, though with Brecksville at home, at Olmsted Falls and at Avon Lake still to go.
DIVISION II
1, Cols. Marion-Franklin (15) 7-0 281
2, Cin. Turpin (3) 7-0 212
3, Avon (1) 7-0 207
4, Maple Hts. (4) 7-0 200
5, New Albany (2) 7-0 185
6, Tol. Cent. Cath. (1) 7-0 145
7, Mentor Lake Cath. (2) 7-0 127
8, Warren Howland (3) 7-0 124
9, Copley (1) 7-0 87
10, Cin. Winton Woods 6-1 74
Others receiving 12 or more points: 11, Sunbury Big Walnut 50. 12, Ashland (1) 37. 13, Zanesville 17.
AREA IMPLICATIONS: Avon even grabbed a first-place vote this week, but proving time for the Eagles won't come until the playoffs with Midview, Fairview and Bay left on the schedule. Avon Lake may get on here if they win out.
DIVISION III
1, Clyde (13) 7-0 283
2, Alliance Marlington (9) 7-0 275
3, Steubenville (5) 6-1 238
4, Thornville Sheridan (3) 7-0 208
5, Eaton 7-0 159
6, Cols. Watterson (2) 5-1 156
7, Youngs. Mooney 4-2 100
8, Napoleon 6-1 79
9, Tiffin Columbian 6-1 57
10, E. Liverpool (1) 6-1 53
Others receiving 12 or more points: 11, St. Bernard Roger Bacon 34. 12, Spring. Shawnee 27. 13, Minerva 26. 14, Cin. Wyoming 24. 15, Akr. SVSM 18. 16, Parma Padua 12.
AREA IMPLICATIONS: No local teams, but Clyde is the class of the SBC. That's one impressive football program over the last few years. You'll notice Padua got some votes, too after beating Elyria Catholic last week.
DIVISION IV
1, Clarksville Clinton-Massie (13) 7-0 278
2, Akr. Manchester (7) 7-0 271
3, Middletown Fenwick (4) 7-0 230
4, Kettering Alter (4) 6-1 178
5, Genoa Area (2) 7-0 175
6, Kenton 6-1 143
7, Plain City Jonathan Alder (1) 6-1 113
8, Elyria Cath. (1) 6-1 110
9, Cin. N. College Hill 7-0 63
10, Bellville Clear Fork 6-1 51
Others receiving 12 or more points: 11, St. Clairsville 36. 12, Carlisle 29. 13, Ironton 25. 14, Cols. Hartley 22. 15, Coshocton 19. 15, Portsmouth W. (1) 19. 17, Campbell Memorial 14.
AREA IMPLICATIONS: Obviously the loss hurt EC this week, dropping them from No. 1 to No. 8. They have to get right up, though and get ready for a tough Cleveland Central Catholic team next week.
DIVISION V
1, Youngs. Ursuline (28) 7-0 323
2, Kirtland 7-0 230
3, Hamler Patrick Henry (1) 7-0 226
4, Fredericktown (2) 7-0 195
5, Richwood N. Union (2) 7-0 194
6, Archbold 7-0 149
7, Collins Western Reserve 7-0 144
8, W. Lafayette Ridgewood 7-0 79
9, Cuyahoga Hts. 6-1 50
10, W. Jefferson 7-0 42
Others receiving 12 or more points: 11, Defiance Tinora 40. 12, Lucasville Valley 22. 13, Lima Cent. Cath. 21. 14, Caldwell 19. 15, Columbiana Crestview 17. 16, N. Lima S. Range 14.
AREA IMPLICATIONS: Western Reserve proved its worth by taking it to St. Paul last week, but they didn't advance in the standings. I think people are going to make the Roughriders prove their mettle before they consider them a top five team in the state. Columbia may win out but it'd be pretty tough for them to break this poll no matter how bad they beat everyone from here on out.
DIVISION VI
1, Delphos St. John’s (28) 7-0 322
2, Maria Stein Marion Local 7-0 270
3, Mogadore 7-0 209
4, Bucyrus Wynford 7-0 190
5, Shadyside 7-0 169
6, Ada 7-0 130
7, McComb 7-0 119
8, Berlin Center Western Reserve (3) 7-0 109
9, Spring. Cath. Cent. 6-1 52
10, Newark Cath. 6-1 49
Others receiving 12 or more points: 11, Covington 37. 12, Willow Wood Symmes Valley (2) 30. 13, Thompson Ledgemont 28. 13, Fremont St. Joseph 28. 15, Bridgeport 25. 16, Salineville Southern 13.
AREA IMPLICATIONS: St. Paul and Monroeville have more or less fallen off the map in Division VI. The Flyers could still make the playoffs, but they'll obviously have to beat the Eagles and get some help in other places.

A look at this week's matchups

2010-10-07T17:52:00.001-07:00

Avon Lake at Berea - Avon Lake gets its last game against a losing team as Westlake, Brecksville and Amherst round out the Shoremen's schedule after this week.
Black River at Brookside - It's make or break time for Brookside. The 3-3 Cardinals have something to prove every week from here on out.
Brooklyn at Clearview - The Clippers need to rebound from last week's loss to Columbia.
Buckeye at Wellington - Two teams who want to keep their winning ways going to salvadge disappointing seasons.
Columbia at Oberlin - A little relief for the Raiders after a hard win over Clearview last week.
Elyria at Hudson - Can the Pioneers make it two in a row? They should against a struggling Hudson squad.
Fairview at Midview - Midview could use a good win after getting knocked around by Rocky River last week and shut out by Bay the week before.
Firelands at Avon - The end of a long rivalry that spanned four conferences and six decades as Firelands moves on to the Patriot Athletic Conference next season.
Findlay at Sandusky - This should be another GBC win for the Streaks, who are having a solid season.
Lorain at Bishop Watterson - The chances are not good for Lorain against state-ranked Watterson on the road, but stranger things have happened.
Lutheran West at Keystone - The Wildcats' skill position players should be able to out-hustle the Longhorns.
Mapleton at New London - This game may not be pretty, but both these teams are desperate for a win.
Midpark at Amherst - The vacation is over for the Comets after this week. The powers of the SWC await in Weeks 8-10.
Monroeville at Plymouth - The Eagles need a win after falling to Western Reserve last week. They still have an outside shot at a conference title.
North Ridgeville at Vermilion - The Rangers should be able to milk an easy win out of a struggling Vermilion squad, but have to contain Anthoney Budka.
Norwalk at Galion - The Truckers have shown some fight this year and Galion is struggling, so a win is not out of the question for Norwalk.
Oak Harbor at Edison - It's hard to tell which Edison team will show up week to week and the Rockets are having a good season at 5-1 so far.
Olmsted Falls at Westlake - This may be the game of the week as the Demons face another tough test in the Bulldogs.
Padua at Elyria Catholic - The Panthers will face a tough defense this week, but Danny Reaser and his receiving corps aren't a good matchup for any team.
Perkins at Huron - The Pirates' struggles reached a new plataeu last week when they missed the game-tying extra point against Edison. The Tigers are not likely to feel sorry for them, though.
Rocky River at Bay - One team is scoring at will while the other is struggling to put up points. The Pirates are on a tear since losing to Avon.
St. Mary at Clyde - The No. 1 team in Region 10 faces a down on its luck team in St. Mary. This one could be decided early, but the Panthers are feeling good after nearly knocking off Huron last week.
St. Paul at Western Reserve - This will be the game of the week and could decide the Firelands Conference. The scoreboard operator may be busy.

This week's matchups

2010-09-30T16:50:00.000-07:00

Amherst at Berea - The Comets shouldn't have a problem with the winless Braves.
Avon at Vermilion - The Eagles shouldn't have a problem with the winless Sailors.
Bay at North Ridgeville - An intriguing matchup. The Rockets beat North Ridgeville last year and threw a wrench in what looked to be a cakewalk through the West Shore for North Ridgeville. The two teams ended in a three-way tie with Rocky River. Could revenge be on the minds of the Rangers?
Brookside at Buckeye - Buckeye hasn't been very good this season while the Cardinals have had a solid start at 3-2. A second straight road win for the Cards would be huge.
Clearview at Columbia - This is my game of the week. Clearview has gotten off to a nice start so far with a nice running attack while the Raiders have mixed it up behind quarterback John Banyasz.
Edison at Perkins - Edison is now 0-2 in the SBC after a 3-0 start. I don't expect it to stay that way but Perkins has to be feeling a lot better after finally getting a win under its belt.
Elyria at Cuyahoga Falls - A matchup of 1-4 teams, Elyria needs to get a win badly after letting one slip away at home to a quality opponent last week.
Firelands at Fairview - A nice chance for the Falcons to get their first WSC win in almost two years.
Keystone at Black River - This should also be a quality game. Keystone has had a couple of disappointing losses of late and the Pirates have also had some letdowns. Something's got to give.
Midpark at Avon Lake - Avon Lake shouldn't have trouble with the Meteors. The running game will be fine-tuned by the time the meat of the schedule arrives, though.
Midview at Rocky River - Rocky River showed last week what its offense can do. Midview is still struggling on that side of the ball.
Norwalk at Willard - Will the Truckers win a third game and even up their record?
Oberlin at Wellington - Oberlin is still seeking its first win while the Dukes are feeling good after getting their's last week. This was one of the best games of the year last year.
Sandusky at Lima Senior - Sandusky dropped 47 points on Lima for its first win last year. This year it won't be nearly as surprising.
St. Paul at South Central - This one could get ugly early.
Trinity at Elyria Catholic- EC should get some heavy-handed revenge on Trinity for knocking it out of playoff contention last season.
Western Reserve at Monroeville - This will be one of the night's most important games. The winner has a chance to knock off St. Paul for the outright Firelands Conference crown.
Westlake at North Olmsted - This game will be much more enjoyable than usual with Westlake boasting a very good defense and North Olmsted coming off a solid showing against Avon Lake.
Saturday
Lorain High at Shaw - LEL play starts eight days after the Titans put up 41 points against Marion Harding. Something to build off? Let's hope.
Huron at St. Mary - Expect the Tigers to win going away and lick their wounds after being shut out by Clyde last week.

Computer points

2010-09-27T12:45:00.000-07:00

I've never been really sure how they worked, but I always like to check out the computer points for area teams as the year goes on. The official rankings come out closer to the end of the season to decide playoff seeding, but http://www.joeeitel.com/ always keeps a pretty accurate tally of where teams stand in the points.

Two area teams are at the top of their respective regions at the halfway point of the season. Avon tops Region 6 with 11.2 points. Region 6 has a few area teams in it inluding Avon Lake (No. 4), North Ridgeville (No. 9), Sandusky (No. 11) and Midview.

Elyria Catholic is still rolling in Division IV, Region 14. They have the top seed with 10.25 points. Their big boost was beating Divsion I Elyria a couple of weeks ago and then following it with a fellow top team, Columbus Archbishop Hartley. EC, along with Avon and Amherst has made its case as one of the best teams in Lorain County and maybe in all of Ohio with their stellar play so far. Region 14 also has Edison (No. 7) and Clearview (No. 8) vying for playoff spots. Huron (No. 10) and Brookside (No. 12) are also still in the hunt but have two losses and will need to play perfect while getting some help to get back in the top eight. Keystone and Wellington are also in Region 14.

Over in Division I, Region 2, Amherst is ranked second behind Twinsburg with 10.55 points. The Comets are coming off of an impressive victory over Westlake last week. Playoffs are a good possibility if the Comets split their final two games with Olmsted Falls and Avon Lake. Win both those games and they could be looking at grabbing the No. 1 seed. A lot still has to happen for the Comets, though. That final stretch is brutal. Lorain High and Elyria are also in Region 2.

Another team leading its region is Collins Western Reserve in Division V, Region 18. The Roughriders are off to a 5-0 start with games against Monroeville and St. Paul still to come.

Rounding out local teams in playoff contention, Monroeville and St. Paul are ranked seventh and eighth respectively in Division VI.

Some stats from Brookside's double OT win

2010-09-25T14:29:00.000-07:00

Brookside defeated Brooklyn 27-21 in overtime. Brookside quarterback Josh Bender completed two of nine passes for 48 yards. He rushed for 52 yards and 2 touchdowns. Running back Art Howell rushed 26 times for 106 yards and two touchdowns.

Is playing to the end of the game wrong?

2010-09-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

Are there unwritten rules among coaches? Even if there are does a coach have to follow those rules or is his responsibility to his team and his team alone.

In the waning minutes of Elyria Catholic’s 29-10 win over St. Thomas Aquinas, Elyria Catholic continued to drop back and pass. The Panthers successfully executed a fake punt to keep a drive alive, passed even more and attempted and missed a field goal with 19 seconds left.

St. Thomas Aquinas head coach Bob Madden was not a fan of Elyria Catholic head coach Ben Malbasa’s play calling.

“No class,” Madden said. “He pulled the same thing up at our place last year. You can put that in whatever paper you write for. Direct quote from Bob Madden. Last year they were winning by three touchdowns I put my subs in and he threw a deep pass to the kid that went Cincinnati. Big tall kid #16 tried to score another touchdown on us. He pulls this tonight. No class.

“They could have taken a knee and ran the clock out then they try a field goal. That’s terrible. I don’t care if they are 4-0, 10-0. That guy has no class at all. Guys in my profession feel the same way I can tell you that.

“They have a good football team but their coach is I can’t even say it. I am proud of how my team played tonight.”

Malbasa said he had a responsibility to coach his team the same way at all times.

“We preach to our kids to play all four quarters and how can I tell me kids not to play four quarters,” Malbasa said. “We have a JV game tomorrow and we need to make sure those kids can play tomorrow and we don’t have that big of a team so we have to play four quarters.”

Football Roundup: Mees to Szylakowski leads North Ridgeville

2010-09-17T22:09:00.000-07:00

NORTH RIDGEVILLE — The Rangers had no problem with Fairview, defeating the Warriors, 42-3 to open up West Shore Conference play.
Mike Mees threw four touchdown passes, including two to Mark Szylakowski (64-yarder, 40-yarder). Christian Watkins (66-yarder) and Nate Alpine (26-yarder) also caught TD passes from Mees.
Brandon Mundell ran for a 14-yard touchdown, while David Bowden added a 17-yard TD run.
North Ridgeville (3-1, 1-0 WSC) will host Avon next Friday. Fairview falls to 1-3 (0-1 WSC).
Bay 37, Firelands 6: The Rockets won their first game of the season, defeating the Falcons in West Shore Conference play.
Firelands, who falls to 1-3 (0-1 WSC), will host Rocky River next Friday. Bay (1-3, 1-0 WSC) will host Midview.
Westlake 6, Berea 2: The Demons won a low-scoring affair on their home field to kick off Southwestern Conference play.
Westlake improves to 4-0 (1-0 SWC) and will travel to Amherst next week to play the undefeated Comets, who defeated North Olmsted last night.
Clearview 41, Wellington 18: The Clippers had no letdown this season, jumping out to a big lead on the Dukes and holding on to it this year in PAC action.
Clearview, who won its third-straight game, improved to 3-1 (1-0 PAC), will host Buckeye next Friday. Wellington remains winless at 0-4 (0-1 PAC) and will travel to Lutheran West next week.
Columbia 42, Black River 20: Raider quarterback John Banyasz threw five touchdown passes to lead Columbia past the Pirates at Black River.
Brandon Heidinger was on the receiving end of three TD passes from Banyasz, while Ryan Severo caught the other two. Banyasz finished the game 11 of 18 for 185 yards and five TDs.
As a team, the Raiders also rushed for 183 yards on 36 carries.
Columbia improves to 3-1 (1-0 PAC) and will host Keystone next Friday. Black River falls to 0-4 (0-1 PAC) and will travel to play Oberlin.
Huron 35, Edison 0: The Tigers shut out the previously undefeated Chargers to open up Sandusky Bay Conference play.
Huron, who improved to 3-1 (1-0 SBC) will travel to play Clyde next week. Edison, who dropped to 3-1 (0-1 SBC) will host Port Clinton, who lost to Clyde last night, 42-7.
Monroeville 49, New London 6: The Eagles routed the Wildcats at New London to open Firelands Conference play.
Justin Jones and Ryan Stower scored two touchdowns apiece to lead the Eagles. Ben Bercheck, Jeremy Krill and Cory Long also scored a TD each in the rout.
Monroeville, who improved to 3-1 (1-0 FC), will host Crestview next Friday, while New London (0-4, 0-1 FC) travels to play Plymouth, who lost to Western Reserve, 44-13 last night.
Tiffin Columbian 49, Norwalk 7: The Tornadoes spun all over the Truckers Friday night as Northern Ohio League kicked off.
Tiffin Columbian improves to 3-1 (1-0 NOL), while Norwalk slipped to 1-3 (0-1 NOL). The Truckers will host Fostoria next Friday.
Oak Harbor 12, Perkins 9: The Rockets won on a late drive in the fourth quarter to keep the Pirates winless, avenging last year’s 35-7 shellacking by the Pirates on their home field.
Perkins, who remains winless at 0-4 (0-1 SBC), will host St. Mary next Friday. Oak Harbor improved to 3-1 (1-0 SBC).
Western Reserve 44, Plymouth 13: The Roughriders dominated FC action in Collins Friday night, defeating the Big Red handily.
Western Reserve, who improved to 4-0 (1-0 FC), will host South Central next Friday, while Plymouth fell to 0-4.
Brooklyn 20, Keystone 13: The Hurricanes were rude guests in LaGrange, jumping out to a 13-0 halftime lead en route to their Patriot Athletic Conference win over the Wildcats.
Brooklyn evened its mark at 2-2 (1-0 PAC), while Keystone fell to 2-2 (0-1 PAC). Keystone travels to Columbia next Friday.
Buckeye 29, Oberlin 14: The Bucks led 22-0 at halftime and held on for the win in Medina in a PAC opener.
Oberlin, who dropped to 0-4, will host Black River next Friday. Buckeye picked up its first win of the season to improve to 1-3 (1-0 PAC).

Kenmore home-wrecks Oberlin’s home opener

2010-09-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

OBERLIN — After two rough road losses to start the season, the Phoenix were hoping to get in the win column with their home opener against Akron Kenmore Friday night.
But the Cardinals had other ideas as Kenmore scored early and often, sending Oberlin to 0-3 with a 44-0 routing.

Eric Finn led Kenmore with 172 yards rushing on 15 carries, while DeSean Ballinger added 71 yards rushing and two rushing touchdowns.

Oberlin was only able to record seven first downs to Kemore’s 18.
Oberlin goes back on the road next Friday when they travel to Medina to play Buckeye in Patriot Athletic Conference play.

North Ridgeville 28, Cloverleaf 17: The Rangers went to Lodi and came out victorious, improving to 2-1 with their second-straight win. North Ridgeville will host Fairview next week in West Shore Conference action.

Monroeville 26, Seneca East 19: The Eagles bounced back from last week’s loss to Edison with a win over the Tigers.

Cory Long scored two touchdowns, while Justin Jones and Ryan Storer also notched TD runs.
Jones had an 18-yard score, Long had an 8-yarder and Storer plunged in from 1-yard out as the Eagles led 20-6 at halftime.

Long was Monroeville’s leading rusher with 146 yards on 24 carries. Jones added 76 yards on 19 carries.
Monroeville improved to 2-1 and will play at New London next Friday.

Brookside 21, Toledo Woodward 14: The Cardinals improved to 2-1 going into PAC play next week.
Robert Taw scored a pair of touchdowns, a 5-yarder and a 3-yarder, while Matt Gorta caught a 18-yard TD pass from Josh Bender. Bender also added a two-point conversion.
Brookside will host Lutheran West next week.

Kirtland 54, Bay 13: The Rockets went on the road to Lake County and were stung by the Hornets.

Kirtland improved to 3-0, while Bay dropped to 0-3. Bay will host Firelands next week.

Columbia 47, Newbury 14: The Raiders improved to 2-1 with a big win in Geauga County over the Black Knights.

Columbia travels to play Black River in PAC action next Friday.
Colonel Crawford 20, New London 14: The Eagles scored in the closing minutes to beat the Wildcats and keep them winless.

New London drops to 0-3 and will host Monroeville next Friday.

Western Reserve 22, Norwayne 14: The Roughriders improved to 3-0 with their win over the Bobcats.

Western Reserve will host Plymouth as Firelands Conference action kicks off next Friday.

Westlake 22, Rocky River 7: The Demons are off to their best start in years at 3-0 as Westlake went on the road and defeated the Pirates.

Westlake will host Berea in Southwestern Conference action next Friday.

High School Football Roundup: Blue Streaks go big then hold on

2010-08-27T22:03:00.000-07:00

BELLVILLE — Sandusky jumped out to a 23-0 halftime lead, but then had to stave off a Colts comeback as Clear Fork came back to make it an eight-point deficit, 30-22.
The Blue Streaks then sealed the deal with a safety and a touchdown to win, 39-22 in a non-conference opener Friday night.
Cordney Strickland was the first-half leader, scoring a pair of touchdowns.
After Clear Fork cut the deficit to eight, Sandusky clamped down and tackled a Colt in the end zone for a safety.
On the ensuing kickoff, quarterback Lucas Poggiali hit Tristen Jeffries with a 56-yard touchdown pass to seal the win.
Sandusky travels to play crosstown rival Perkins next week.
Columbus South 20, Oberlin 7: The Phoenix had a tough time on the road in Columbus, falling to the Bulldogs, who they routed at home last year.
Oberlin will travel to play McDonald next Friday.
Norwayne 7, Wellington 6: The Bobcats were an extra-point better than the Dukes in non-conference play at Wellington.
The win for Norwayne avenged last year’s 39-14 loss to Wellington last season at Norwayne.
Wellington travels to play Avon next Friday.
Bellevue 20, Perkins 17: The Pirates were a field goal short on the road at Bellevue as the Redmen go revenge for last year’s 34-12 loss to the Pirates.
Perkins will host Sandusky next Friday.
Orange 34, Bay 14: The Lions got revenge for last year’s 6-0 Rockets win, defeating Bay by 20 at their place.
Bay will host Westlake next Friday.
North Olmsted 35, Valley Forge 7: The Eagles pounded the Patriots, led by Mark Remy, who scored a pair of touchdowns.
Remy scored from 64- and 65-yards out, and finished with 184 yards on 11 carries.
Quarterback Mike Shoemaker threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Greg Bokisa. That put the Eagles up 14-0 in the first half.
North Olmsted had two goal-line stands defensively. The first one in the first half came after a Valley Forge blocked punt that put them on the 4-yard line.
North Olmsted will host Elyria next Friday.
Western Reserve 34, Black River 7: The Roughriders made sure this year’s battle with the Pirates wasn’t as close as last year’s 7-6 win, handing Black River a loss at home.
Next week, Western Reserve travels to play Margaretta, who defeated Wickliffe, 26-0 last night.
Cleveland Central Catholic 30, Columbia 22: The Raiders didn’t treat their home crowd to a win, as Cleveland Central Catholic knocked off Columbia in non-conference action.
Edison 35, Norwalk 18: The Chargers almost repeated last year’s score of 35-19 with a rout of the Truckers.
Next week, Edison will host Monroeville, who defeated Keystone, 28-7 last night.
Buckeye Central 48, New London 7: The Wildcats were routed on the road last night in Crawford County.
New London will play at Firelands next Friday.

Are you ready for some football?

2010-08-24T15:22:00.000-07:00

The 2010 high school football season kicks off Friday, August 27.

There are a full slate of games on the gridiron this weekend. Here is the schedule for Week 1.

Check out who your favorite is playing. The games highlighted are the ones the Morning Journal sports staff will be covering.

Friday, August 27

Amherst at Elyria, 7 p.m. *

Avon at Avon Lake, 7:30 p.m. *

Bay at Orange, 7 p.m.

Black River at Western Reserve, 7 p.m.

Cleveland Central Catholic at Columbia, 7:30 p.m.

Edison at Norwalk, 7:30 p.m.

Elyria Catholic at Clearview, 7:30 p.m. *

Firelands at Brookside, 7:30 p.m. *

Lorain High at Midview, 7 p.m. *

Monroeville at Keystone, 7:30 p.m. *

New London at Buckeye Central, 7 p.m.

North Ridgeville at Westlake, 7:30 p.m.

Norwayne at Wellington, 7:30 p.m.

Oberlin at South, 7:30 p.m.

Perkins at Bellevue, 7:30 p.m.

Sandusky at Clear Fork, 7 p.m.

Vermilion at Huron, 7:30 p.m. *

Saturday, August 28

St. Paul at St. Mary, 7:30 p.m. *

St. Paul ready for undefeated Royals

2009-11-19T19:51:00.000-08:00

By STEVE WALKER
swalker@MorningJournal.com

After bumping off Hopewell-Loudon last week and Dalton the week before, the confidence of Bucyrus Wynford has climbed higher than it has ever been.

Hopewell-Loudon had been in the state championship the last two years and despite losing both games, the Chieftains were favored to go back to the state title game and try to win that elusive championship.

Enter the undefeated Royals of Bucyrus Wynford.

The Royals (12-0) scored 20 points in the first 10 minutes and hung on to beat the Chieftans, 39-30 in the Division VI regional semifinal game played in Tiffin last Saturday, advancing them to the regional championship game tomorrow night against Norwalk St. Paul at Ashland Community Stadium.

Wynford is in the playoffs for the fifth straight year and its ninth overall. Coach Travis Moyer is 93-25 during his 11 years at the helm. The Royals haven’t lost a regular season game in three seasons and haven’t lost a North Central Conference game since 2004, a span of 40-straight conference wins. Their last regular season loss was in Week 2 in 2006 to Sycamore Mohawk.

On the season, Wynford has scored 481 points (40.1 points per game) and has allowed 141 (11.8 ppg).

Its opponent St. Paul has outscored its opposition, 481-50 in the regular season and 93-7 in two playoff games. St. Paul’s smothering defense has allowed just 4.8 points per game.

With both teams scoring nearly 500 points apiece, something will have to give when the teams meet Saturday night.

The Royals have an experienced quarterback in 6-foot-4 Tyler Brause, who is heading to Kentucky next season, along with his 6-7 teammate Teven Eatmon, a tight end on offense and interior lineman on defense.

Brause was named Northwest District co-Offensive Player of the Year. Eatmon was named co-Linemen of the Year.

Wynford has averaged over 400 yards of offense, led by Brause, who has not only thrown 21 touchdown passes, but he also ran for 19 TDs. On the defensive side, Brause has also snagged six interceptions and returned three of them for TDs. In all, Brause has scored 43 touchdowns on the season.

“We’re extremely confident,” Brause said. “We got two big playoff wins under our belt and we have a pretty experienced group of guys. We’ve been to the playoffs all four years we’ve been in high school. We’re confident in our ability and what we’re bringing to the table.

“We’ve been watching film a lot. We know they’re a 4-4 man coverage on defense. We know they can throw the ball and run the ball very well so we’ve been just preparing like we’ve had the previous 12 weeks, putting in a game plan and try to do things we think can hurt them. We’re confident in what we do offensively. Our goal every game is to score 42 points. We feel like we can reach that going into every game.”

Eatmon is happy to disprove the naysayers.

“Our whole team has all the confidence, especially after beating Hopewell,” Eatmon said. “I’m pretty sure there were people who didn’t think we were going to win but now that we went out there and did it, they’ll realize that we’re for real.

“Playing St. Paul, we gotta come out hard and fast like we did last week. We can’t lose it. We gotta do it for all 48 minutes of the game.”

A win in Saturday’s game would advance the Royals to a stage they’ve never reached — the state semifinals.

“This would not only be a big for the seniors, but it will be a big win for our school,” Eatmon said. “Our school has never made it past the third round. When they went 12-1 in 2005 and that was the first year that Wynford ever won a playoff game and they won two in a row. It’ll be huge, not only for the seniors, but for the whole Wynford community.”

The Royals use a Wing-T based offense, but also like to spread the field with Brause in the shotgun. His other target on offense is 6-5 wide receiver Chris Brown, who nabbed 31 receptions for 588 yards and seven touchdowns. Logan Temple and Zack Niedermier will be in the backfield, while Eatmon lines up as a another tackle on run plays.

Defensively, Alex McNulty led the team with four sacks, while Zach Brewington and Zach Chatlain pace the defense with a combined 149 tackles.

Regardless of the outcome, Brause and his teammates have had a fun season and have dedicated it to fellow teammate Jonathan Griffin, who was diagnosed with leukemia during the summer before football season.

“It’s been a blast,” Brause said. “We’re a close group of seniors. We’ve been that way since we were little. One of our seniors Jonathan Griffin was diagnosed with leukemia during the summer. He’s been battling chemotherapy so we’ve been playing for him. He has inspired us and it’s been a lot of fun. He’s played football with us ever since junior high.”

Week 10 of high school football full of surprises

2009-10-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

It was an exciting final Friday of the high school football season. A wacky West Shore Conference season stayed true to form on the season's final night. Co-leaders Rocky River and Bay lost allowing North Ridgeville, down by 14 at the half, to rally for a share of the WSC title. The Rangers' season seemed to be in shambles after week nine's late-second loss to Rocky River. Not only did the Rangers get a share of conference with a 18-14 win over Midview, as of midnight Joe Eitel's unofficial Harbin ratings have the Rangers in the playoffs as the eighth seed.

Football takes a lot of dedication. Bring winless and still playing hard takes a special kind of pride. Both Vermilion and Norwalk's seniors can leave their high school careers with their heads a little higher. Both 0-9 to start the night, the Sailors and Truckers faced overtime. Vermilion defeated Firelands 20-14 in overtime and Norwalk beat Upper Sandusky 27-21 in the extra session.

Avon Lake won the SWC outright as North Olmsted defeated Olmsted Falls14-6. Clyde won a share of the SBC with a 7-0 win over Edison. The Fliers will share the title with Perkins which beat Margaretta 29-18. Clearview won the Stars division of the PAC with 35-0 drubbing of Oberlin. As of Midnight Clearview sits in 8th on the unofficial Harbin ratings of Joe Eitel. But they have not clinched a spot as secondary points Saturday will decide the 8th and final spot. Elyria Catholic is also mathematically alive.

Amherst keeps SWC title hopes alive

2009-10-23T21:05:00.000-07:00

In the Morning Journal Game of the Week, Amherst used a 89-yard drive late in the fourth quarter, capped off by a Charlie Davis 5-yard run to defeat Olmsted Falls 17-16.

With the win, the Comets find themselves in a three way tie with Olmsted Falls, and Avon Lake, who destroyed Brecksville 39-10, for the Southwestern Conference title.

All three teams are now 5-1 in the SWC, and Amherst and Avon Lake will play each other Thursday night at Amherst. Olmsted Falls will travel to take on North Olmsted Friday night to see which two teams will share the SWC crown.

Elyria Catholic's playoff hopes came to crashing end as they lost a hard fought game to Trinity 15-13.
Alex Alicea had a monster game for the Panthers, rushing for 186 yards and two touchdowns. The lost all but eliminates the Panthers chances to make the playoffs, as they began the night 10th in Region 14 in Division IV.

Bay didn't let the cover of the Edge distract them as they handily defeated winless Vermilion 35-6.

Owen Dalton scored two touchdowns for the Rockets, who improved to 7-2 overall, 5-1 in the West Shore Conference.

All Bay has to do is defeat Avon, the defending WSC champions, to clinch its first-ever WSC crown.

Another exciting game took place at Rocky River as the Pirates defeated North Ridgeville in overtime 23-21.

Replacement kicker Mike Jones booted the 28-yard game-winnning field.

The Pirates are now tied with Bay, who they beat earlier in the season, atop the West Shore Conference.

Clyde knocks off unbeaten Perkins

2009-10-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

It was another rainy and muddy Friday night and some area teams struggled in Week 8 in the less than favorable conditions, while others did not let the weather slow them down.

The big upset of the night happened in Clyde, where the Fliers knocked off previously unbeaten Perkins 27-13.

Perkins held a 7-3 lead after the first quarter, but was outscored 24-6 in the second half.

Perkins' problem was they could not contain Clyde's Kade Kramer, who rushed for 223 yards on 31 carries.

The victory becomes huge for Clyde (5-3, 4-0) as they now move into sole possession of first place in the Sandusky Bay Conference with Perkins (7-1, 3-1) now a game back.

Elyria Catholic (6-2) kept his playoff hopes alive as they defeated St. Peter Chanel 28-6.

Alex Alicea carried the load on offense for the Panthers. He finished with 149 total yards (95 rushing) and scored three touchdowns.

Week 8 also had its share of blowouts which included:

Bay over Firelands 28-7
Avon Lake over Westlake 34-0
Clearview over Lutheran West 54-0
Midview over Avon 33-14
St. Paul over New London 56-0
North Ridgeville over Firelands 42-0
Shaw over Southview 54-0
Crestview over Western Reserve 27-0

Perkins stays unbeaten

2009-10-09T21:40:00.000-07:00

After defeating Edison in its biggest game of the season, Perkins struggled but found a way to defeat Huron in Sandusky Bay Conference play, 21-7.

Richard Hohler had a big day on both sides of the field for the Pirates. He totaled 170 yards on offense, and had two interception on defense.

Perkins improved to 7-0, 4-0 in the SBC and will take on Clyde, who is also unbeaten in the SBC.

North Ridgeville bounced back from its first lost of the season to hammer West Shore Conference opponent Vermilion, 30-6.

Brandon Mundell led the Rangers on the ground with 117 yards on 14 carries. Domonique Qualls caught two touchdown passes (27,23) from Michael Mees.

Avon Lake won its third game in a row as they destroyed Berea 42-7.

Mike Mansnerus rushed for 72 yards and scored two touchdowns.

The Shoreman improve to 4-3, and 3-1 in the Southwestern Conference.

After defeating previously unbeaten North Ridgeville, Bay traveled to Rocky River and dropped its first West Shore Conference game 28-16.

Bay didn't help themselves as they turned the ball over six times.

Amherst traveled to Berea and held on for a 20-13 victory.

Alex Basinski threw for 141 yards, including a 95-yard touchdown pass to Jason Stump, and rushed for 35 yards and scored two more touchdowns for the Comets.

Saturday night roundup

2009-10-03T20:41:00.000-07:00

Saturday featured three area teams who looked to take care of business at home on the gridiron in Week 6.

In Norwalk, St. Paul's Eric Schwieterman started his second game of the season and led the Flyers to a 55-0 thrashing of visiting South Central. Schwieterman finished 6 of 8 for 130 yards and a touchdown.

Dan Tract, who started at quarterback in place of an injured Schwieterman for most of the season, moved back to wide receiver and caught 4 passes for 109 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown pass from Scwieterman.

The Flyers improved to 6-0, and 3-0 in the Firelands Conference.

At Elyria, Elyria Catholic found themselves in a tight game with Villa Angela-St. Joseph to open North Coast League play.

The Panthers actually trailed 6-0, before scoring 21 unanswered points and held on for a 21-14 win.

Josh Russ had a big game for the Panthers as he scored on both sides. He caught two touchdown passes (39, 29) from Danny Reaser, and recovered a fumble on defense in the end zone.

Elyria Catholic raised its record to 5-1, and 1-0 in the NCL.

And in Lorain the Southview Saints tried to notch their second win of the season as they opened Lake Erie League play against winless Bedford.

The Saints could only muster 170 yards of total offense, and committed 6 penalties in their 27-8 loss.

The only bright spot for the Saints was Ricky Earl, who had 97 yards of total offense.

Southview dropped to 1-5, and 0-1 in the LEL.

Phoenix rise to the occasion

2009-10-02T21:15:00.000-07:00

It was homecoming time Friday night at Oberlin as the Phoenix took on Wellington in a Patriot Athletic Conference crossover game.
With all the excitement surrounding the game, Oberlin got off to a slow start and found themselves down 14-6 at halftime.
The Phoenix came out with a purpose and dominated the third quarter, outscoring Wellington 22-0 and holding on for a 28-20 win.

Double threat Gib Harris led the Phoenix offense with 228 yards of total offense, including two long touchdown passes to Tim Hill.

The first one came in the second quarter when the two hooked up for a 27-yard td to cut Wellington's lead to 14-6.

The second one, which went for 57 yards, gave the Phoenix the lead for good.

Hill finished with 2 catches for 84 yards. Harris threw for only 90 yards.

Wellington's quarterback John Bowman also had a couple of long passes, both coming in the first half.

Bowman connected with Austin Fullen on the team's first play of the first possession for a 55-yard touchdown.

Later in the first quarter, Bowman found Austen Gray for 78 yards, unfortunately the Dukes could not turn that drive into points.

Oberlin improved to 4-2, 1-2 PAC, while the Dukes fell to 4-2, 2-1 PAC.

Computer rankings are out

2009-09-30T21:26:00.000-07:00

The OHSAA computer rankings were released Tuesday and some area teams have a good chance to make the playoffs.

In Divsion II, North Ridgeville (5-0) ranks second in Region 6 with 10.55 points. Avon Lake, despite having a losing record (2-3) are ranked 10th with 5.4 points.

In Region 9, Bay (4-1) is ranked seventh in Division III with 7.0798 points.

Edison (5-0) is tied with Clear Fork for first place in Region 14 in Division IV with 8.8 points. Keystone (3-2) is ranked ninth with 5.2 points, followed by Elyria Catholic (4-1) with 5.15 points in Region 14.

Western Reserve (3-2) is ranked ninth in Region 18 in Division V with 4.7 points.

In Region 21 in Division VI St. Paul (5-0) is ranked fourth with 7.45 points, while Monroeville is ranked eighth with 5.3 points.

Wellington shocks Clearview

2009-09-18T20:41:00.000-07:00

Week 4 of Friday night football featured many surprises around the area, but none were bigger than Wellington's 40-35 upset win over Clearview at Tom Hoch Stadium.

The Clippers held a 21-0 lead after the first quarter, but the Dukes went on to outscore Clearview 40-14 the rest of the way, including 12-0 in the fourth quarter.

Wellington rushed all over the Clippers defense as they finished with 314 yards on the ground, led by Clay Wright's 156 yards.

Not to be outdone were the Sandusky Streaks.

The Streaks traveled to Lorain for the second time in four weeks and hammered Admiral King 46-19 for their first win of the season.

Cordney Strickland rushed for 121 yards, while Zak Esposito threw a career-high four touchdown passes.

Avon Lake, who was supposed to be a state contender, find themselves at 1-3 after a 20-14 road loss to Olmsted Falls.

The Shoremen rushed for 214 yards, led by Mike Mansnerus' 132 yards, but the Shoremen are now in unfamiliar territory as they have now lost three regular season games for the first time since 2006.

Amherst went on the road and dropped its second game of the season to North Olmsted 21-7.

Keystone, fresh off its fourth quarter comeback against Firelands, went to Brooklyn and crushed the Hurricanes 41-20.

Corry Sprouse and Jimmy Reid combined for 283 yards and four touchdowns for the Wildcats, who are now 3-1, 1-0 PAC.

Brookside won its second consecutive game in a row with a 27-7 win over Luthern West.
Austin Tackett rushed for 148 yards while Rocky Radeff added 97 yards.

St. Paul, North Ridgeville and Perkins all improved to 4-0.

Thursday's football picks

2009-09-16T17:12:00.000-07:00

There a number of Thursday night high school football on the schedule to kick off week 4 of the season.
Westlake and Berea will face off on Fox Sports Ohio and Elyria, Elyria Catholic and Southview also have Thursday game because they are playing schools from Eastern Cuyahoga County that will closed Friday for the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashana. Here are the Morning Journal staff picks for Thursday's games.
Jim Brady: Westlake, Mayfield, Elyria Catholic, Cleveland Heights
Todd Shapiro: Westlake, Mayfield, Elyria Catholic, Cleveland Heights
Mike Perry: Berea, Elyria, Elyria Catholic, Cleveland Heights
Steve Walker: Berea, Mayfield, Elyria Catholic, Cleveland Heights
Anthony Rios: Westlake, Elyria, Elyria Catholic, Cleveland Heights
Colin Wilson: Westlake, Mayfield, Shaker Heights, Cleveland Heights

Panthers fail first test

2009-09-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

After two easy wins against Collinwood and Southview, Elyria Catholic wanted to show people they could hang with the top teams.

They got their chance Friday night against Cardinal Mooney, who beat the Panthers 59-14 last season, but once again Cardinal Mooney proved to be too much for Elyria Catholic as they rolled to a 49-20 win.

Offensively the Panthers were improved as Alex Alicea rushed for 100 yards and scored a touchdown, Danny Reaser threw for 136 yards and Josh Russ had 7 catches for 70 yards.

The problem was the defense could not stop the running game of Cardinal Mooney, led by Braylon Heard.

Heard, who has committed to play football at the University of West Virginia, rushed for 192 yards on just 11 carries. Overall Cardinal Mooney rushed for 278 yards.

If the Panthers want to be considered one of the best teams in Division IV, they will have to shore up their defense.

St. Paul wins battle of unbeatens

2009-09-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

So much for a showdown.
Both St. Paul and Huron came into Saturday's game both 2-0, but it was Flyers who looked like the contenders as they hammered the Tigers 42-3.

The Flyers came into the game without starting quarterback Eric Schweiterman for the third straight game with a hand injury.
It didn't matter because Brian Griffin carried the load on offense with 165 yards and five touchdowns.

With Elyria Catholic's loss to Cardinal Mooney expect the Flyers to soar into the No. 1 spot in the Morning Journal's Power Poll.

Lighting up the scoreboard

2009-09-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

Friday night Keystone and Chippewa played one of the wildest games in Lorain County football history, combining to score 118 points, in the Wildcats 62-56 win. It has been reported that the game was the highest scoring game in Lorain County in over a century.

The highest scoring game in OHSAA history occurred back in 1923 when Medina defeated Spencer High School by a score of 165-0. The highest scoring game to involve an area team in the previous 100 years was back in 1920 when Norwalk found itself on the losing end of a 125-0 score against Toledo Scott.

Fast forward back to 2009, Scott was on the wrong end of another rather lopsided game this weekend, as Admiral King traveled to Toledo to put on a 58-0 beating on the Bulldogs. The Admirals' Luis Mendez took the opening kickoff back 80 yards for a touchdown and Admiral King never looked back while improving its record to 1-1.
Admiral King domianted on both sides of the football, gaining 383 yards of total offense and at the same time holding Scott to 59 yards.
The Admirals will look to contiue their winning ways as they travel to Avon Friday night for a battle of 1-1 games.

Things to watch in week 2

2009-09-04T07:49:00.000-07:00

Week 1 of the high school football season left area fans with more questions than answers as to what the 2009 season may bring. Here is a few thing to look at this weekend that could be indicators of what the future may hold for area teams.

Will Amherst rebound from last week's stunner against Elyria? Look to see how the spread offense performs this week. Putting 13 points on the board probably won't win too many games in the Southwestern Conference.

Speaking of the Southwestern Conference, seven of the eight conference teams lost their opening games last weekend. The second-level computer points these teams won't be getting, could mean that both Amherst and Avon Lake will be going on the road for the opening round of the playoffs, presuming they are able to turn their season's around beginning this week.

Speaking of computer points, Division VI Monroeville could really cash in tonight if they can knock off Division IV Edison at home this evening. Both of these teams put up big numbers last weeks but one one of them will still be undefeated after tonight.

After months of anticipation, the Perkins-Sandusky game could prove to be a read dud. The Blue Streaks looked like a team in disarray last week while losing to Southview. Meanwhile Perkins had a strong week 1 performance against Bellevue. Hopefully Sandusky was looking ahead to this crosstown matchup or this one could get ugly early.

On the Big Screen

2009-09-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

For the second time in three seasons, Avon Lake will play football in front of a statewide television audience Friday when they travel to Brunswick in a game that will be televised on Sports Time Ohio. The game will be shown at 11 p.m. after Cleveland Indians baseball.

In 2007, the Shormen played Avon as part of the Charity Game doubleheader at Cleveland Browns Stadium that also featured Benedictine and Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin. Those Saturday afternoon games were carried live by Fox Sports Ohio.

According to OHSAA rules, television stations are not allowed to show Friday nights football games until 10:30 p.m. in order to protect the gate of other area games.

The Shoremen will play in another TV game later this season when they take on traditional rival Amherst on Fox Sports Ohio on Thursday October 29.

Shake up at the top

2009-08-31T20:29:00.000-07:00

It's only been a week and there is already going to be change at the top of the Morning Journal's Power Poll.
No. 1 Avon Lake loss to Maple Heights opens the door for a new No. 1. Could it be the Panthers of Elyria Catholic, who beat Collinwood 35-0, or will it be the Flyers of St. Paul, who crushed St. Mary 47-0. Stay tuned for the Edge this Friday to find out who will be the new No. 1.

Speaking of St. Paul, quarterback Eric Schwieterman was unavailable in the Flyers win over St. Mary because of a thumb injury on his throwing hand. It is uncertain whether or not Schwieterman will be available against Tiffin Calvert this week, but it will be interesting to see if he will ready for their Week 3 matchup against Huron.

Congratulations to the Southview Saints, who defeated Sandusky 14-6 on Saturday. Normally I wouldn't be praising a team for winning a game, but this was the Saints second win in five seasons and their first home win since the 2004 season.

Another interesting fact is that the two wins by the Saints in the those five seasons have been against Sandusky.

Opening night upsets

2009-08-28T21:57:00.000-07:00

Week 1 had its fair share of bad weather and also its fair share of upsets.
The biggest one happened in Amherst as Elyria stole one from the Comets 14-13.
Elyria senior Trynell Davis was the hero as he picked off Amherst’s Alex Basinski and returned it 50 yards with just two minutes left in the game to seal the victory.
This was a huge win for the Pioneers who won just two games in 2008. Amherst on the other must put the loss behind them and prepare to face a Midview to crushed Admiral King on the road 35-15.
The other upset happened in Avon Lake as the Shoremen fell to Maple Heights 28-16. The most surprising thing about the game was how Avon Lake played. They fumbled the ball eight times and lost two of them, very uncharacteristic for a Dave Dlugosz coached team. For a team that has high expections this was not a good start for the Shoremen, who will go on the road to face a tough Brunswick team next week.
Other surprising wins included Perkins over Bellevue 34-12 and Monroeville defeating Keystone 27-16.

Mother Nature not a fan of early season football

2009-08-28T21:09:00.000-07:00

Another week 1 of high school football, another week of stormy weather. For probably the fourth time this decade week 1 saw a number of postponements on the high school football. Four games in the Morning Journal coverage area were postponed to Saturday because of Friday's weather.
Westlake at North Ridgeville will kick off the season Saturday at 3 p.m. Wellington at Norwayne, Western Reserve at Black River and Bay at Orange also had their games moved to Saturday.
Ever since the OHSAA decided to move football season up a week into August in order to expand the playoffs to 32 teams Mother Nature has played havoc with the Week 1 schedule.
Just maybe, Mother Nature thinks football season should wait until the school year actually begins.

Huron coach a master of words and football

2009-08-28T20:53:00.000-07:00

Huron football coach Tony Legando already proved he is one of the best football coaches in North Central Ohio with his teams performance over the past two decades. His Tigers entered Friday's game at Vermilion with exactly zero returning starters. By the time the night was done, the Tigers were 31-7 winners and Legando's squad looked like seasoned veterans.
Which leads to another thing Legando does well. He is a master of words.
All summer Legando told everyone who would listen that his Tigers would struggle come this fall.
I went out to Huron to interview Legando for our football preview and he had me believing it would be a rough year for the Tigers. However, after Friday, I would not be surprised to see Huron back in the OHSAA playoffs again this fall.
When Legando retires, I think he could get a part time job selling ice to Eskimos, because he did a good job of having us all believe his Tigers weren't ready for the Friday Night Lights this season.

Panthers begin 2009 season with controversy

2009-08-28T14:28:00.000-07:00

The Elyria Catholic Panthers will take the field Friday night against Collinwood without some of its top players.
Starting receiver/defensive back Josh Russ, starting tailback Alex Alicea, Mike Betka, Joe Dempsey, Cory Campbell and Buddy Davila will not be allowed to play in the game.
Panthers coach Ben Malbasa said the players violated team rules, but did not elaborate on details as to what the players actually did.
I don't think this will affect the outcome of tonight's game (EC should win by a lot), but it still doesn't look good for Panthers' image.
Yeah coach Malbasa is doing the right thing by sitting these guys out for the first game, but would he have sat these same players if the Panthers opened against Cardinal Mooney rather than Collinwood?
These players have to understand that they, just like pro athletes, are held to a higher standard in their high school because they play athletics.
Hopefully these guys have learned their lessons and Elyria Catholic will put the incident behind them and have a successful season.

Knowing the Rules

2009-08-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

In my many years as a high school football fan, former official and currently as a journalist one of most enjoyable part of Friday night's has been listening to the fans in the stands yelling at the officials.

Most fans don't understand the differences between high school football and the NFL and college varieties which each have their own rule book. I am sure the number has changed since than, but a few seasons ago someone counted 268 differences between High Schools and NCAA rules.

The differences between high school and NFL rules are even greater.

So just because you saw the Browns or the Buckeyes do it on TV, doesn't mean you can do it on Friday nights.

To help the fans TRY to understand the rules better, here are the rule changes for the 2009 season. You will see that some are just administrative changes, while some are changes that will have an effect on the game.

(The Numbers and Letters refer to the section in the rule book where the rules are found)

1-2-3b NOTE 2 (NEW): All required field markings must be clearly visible.

1-3-1c: Stripes located on the football must be adjacent to and perpendicular to the seam upon which the laces are stitched.

2-14-2; 7-2-5: The definition of a scrimmage-kick formation was clarified to differentiate formations that have been used traditionally for attempting a field goal or kick try from those used for a punt. The circumstances under which the numbering exception can be used have been changed to clarify what can be done on first, second, third and fourth downs.

Table 3-1; 9-8-1g: The mandatory three-minute warm-up period begins immediately following the conclusion of the halftime intermission. The head coach of each team is responsible for his team being on the field for the warm-up period.

3-3-4b5 (NEW): If a penalty resulting in a safety occurs on the last timed down of a period, the period is not extended.

8-2-2; 8-2-3; 8-2-4 (NEW); 10-5-1f: Three rules were refined and a new article created regarding penalty enforcement for dead-ball, non-player or unsportsmanlike fouls that occur during or after a touchdown scoring play. Now, the scoring team, in most situations, has the option of enforcing the penalty on the subsequent kickoff.

9-4-3h: It is now illegal to grasp the opponent's chin strap.

9-4-3k (NEW): The horse-collar tackle has been added to the list of illegal personal contact fouls, regardless of where it occurs on the field. It is illegal to grasp the inside back or side opening of the collar of the jersey or shoulder pads of the runner and subsequently pull the runner to the ground.

9-7-2 EXCEPTION: The kicking team cannot bat a scrimmage kick that has not yet been grounded unless it is toward its own goal line. Scrimmage kicks may only be batted by the kicking team towards its own goal line.

1-2-3g; 9-8-3: A restricted area has been defined where a maximum of three coaches may communicate with players and substitutes during dead-ball situations. The coaches must move into the team box before the ball becomes live. There will no longer be an allowance for three coaches to remain in an area adjacent to the sideline during play.

The biggest changes will be the banning of the "horse collar" tackle which will bring high school rules in line with the other levels of football that have already banned the dangerous practice.

During the course of the season watch how these rules will affect your favorite team.

If you have any questions about specific rules after a game, feel free to contact me at tshapiro@MorningJournal.com. I will try to answer some of your questions on this blog during the following week.